This special program, aimed at studio art and art history majors, offers students a unique opportunity to study in what is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance and one of the most important European centers of western art, science, literature and architecture: Florence, Italy. Join us here on our journey!

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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Buona Serra Italia!

A page out of my sketchbook-
Featuring the BEST sandwich in the world!

By Cate Solari

If you had asked me where I would
be sitting at this time of year last semester I would have said, “most likely
in my dorm, or even more likely the Ceramics studio.”Where am actually sitting right now you ask?In my kitchen, in my apartment, that sits on
Via Farini, in the middle of Florence, Italy.Yup, that’s where I am.Never
would have guessed it, never thought I would have the guts to spend an entire
semester away from my family, friends, and most importantly my dog, but here I
am nine weeks in and slowly realizing that I am running out of time in this
amazing place.Sometimes, it doesn’t
even seem like I’m in school.I still
think I am on summer vacation and that when I go back to the cold of Uconn I
have two full semesters left of junior year, but I don’t.Sitting sketching and water coloring in my
sketchbook at the Pitti Palace on a bench surrounded by the Boboli Gardens is
actual class, walking through the streets snapping pictures of bicycles whizzing
by on their way across town is class, sitting repeating and trying to tell my
brain “Mi chiamo Cate” and “Di dove sei?” rather than “My name is Cate” and
“Where are you from?” is class. Its crazy!

My drawing set up at the Mercato Centrale-
Complete with a cappuccino!

In and
outside of class we spend a lot of time sketching in our sketchbooks.For me this has been a huge challenge that I
am happy to accept.Coming from a three
dimensional background I spend very little time sketching things that I find in
the world around me.Its like a new way
of looking a the world and looking at a page.The page is the finished product rather than just the beginning forms or
plan for the finished product.I like
it.Sometimes I pretend when I start a
new page that it is a poster or a webpage, this helps me to visualize the
composition better and to think about including other elements like text and
pasted images.So far my favorite place
to sketch is the Mercato Centrale.It’s
like a scene from a movie.People
bustling in and out of the doors, shouting over each other to the venders,
trying to get the freshest cut of beef or the juiciest tomatoes.The vibrant colors fill the room and the
smells as you walk between the stalls are like a breath of fresh air.Down one aisle, the pungent smell of fresh
fish, the clean fresh smell of citrus down the other, and the subtle waft of
fresh bread baking around the corner.

Mercato Centrale

I've also really enjoyed taking photos for our photography class. Its really interesting having the city as your subject. Unlike at Uconn where your pretty limited to mooing cows and sunsets over horsebarn hill! Its really strange how on a daily basis I walk by the Uffizi, or through Piazza della Signorina and think nothing of it, despite being surrounded by countless tourist pointing their cameras up to the faux David. Being able to live among these incredible works of art that have been standing for decades always gets to me. And how thousands of artist before me have stood where I am standing and have pulled their own inspirations from it. Below are some more photos that can help better describe my experience here much better than words can. So much has happened over these past few weeks I can barely wrap my head around it! Just looking back through my photos to pick some to include I keep thinking "Oh yeah! I remember doing that!" and being utterly surprised that I was actually there and not just looking at a picture from google images. Until next time! Buona Serra!

Sketchbook page- My unofficial best friend tying up meat

Part of my "Something New" Project-
Blueprints of the Palazzo Vecchio

Drawing alongside the Arno

Taken for a photography assignment-
At the Boboli Gardens

Having fun with some stop motion photography
on a sunny day with water balloons!